US tells allies to do more amid new offensive against IS

WASHINGTON (AP) - Declaring the Islamic State group's destruction its top Middle East priority, the Trump administration Wednesday urged coalition partners to contribute more to forces who are retaking Iraq's second largest city and readying an assault on the extremists' self-declared Syrian capital. There was no apparent announcement of a new overall strategy, however.

Addressing top diplomats of the 68-nation coalition, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called for new ideas to expand the fight against IS in the Iraqi city of Mosul and accelerate the campaign to chase militants from Raqqa, Syria, while preparing for the complex humanitarian and political consequences of both efforts.

Yet Tillerson did not propose, at least in his public remarks, a new approach, beyond noting the increased U.S. military role in each country. As the officials were meeting at the State Department in Washington, the Pentagon announced it provided an airlift for Syrian fighters taking part in an offensive west of Raqqa, in an escalation of U.S. involvement. At least one country participating in the meeting, France, voiced frustration Tillerson and other U.S. officials had not offered specifics.

"I recognize there are many pressing challenges in the Middle East, but defeating ISIS is the United States number one goal in the region," Tillerson said. "As we've said before, when everything is a priority, nothing is a priority. We must continue to keep our focus on the most urgent matter at hand."

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Ababi said victory was finally within reach.

"We are at the stage of completely decimating Daesh," al-Abadi said, using the Arabic acronym for IS.

Nothing Tillerson outlined departed significantly from the Obama administration's strategy, which focused on using local forces to retake territory along with efforts to disrupt IS recruitment and financing, and the blueprint of the multilateral effort seemed unchanged.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said he was disappointed the U.S. hasn't outlined a more detailed plan, particularly for Raqqa's future. He said he understood Trump's administration was still formulating policy, explaining that he will be more concerned if decisions aren't made before the end of April.

"We are expecting some further clarity from the U.S.," he told reporters, citing France's desire for the city to be run by moderate opponents of Syrian President Bashar Assad and not the country's Russian-backed government. He also wants to hear what America seeks from U.N.-led talks on a broader political settlement to the six-year civil war between Assad's military and various rebel groups.